Piano sounding-board.



T. WOLFRAM. PIANO SOUNDING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED 0(1T.26, 1905. 'l

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ATTORNEYS rn: Norems PErERs co., wAsHma-mw, n. c4

THEODORE WOLFRAM, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

PIANO SOUNDING-BOARD.

It o. 838,154.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed October 26, 1905. Serial No. 284,447.

To @ZZ whom, t muy concern.-

Beit known that I, THEODORE WOLFRAM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a new and lmproved Piano Sounding-Board, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to pianos and other stringed musical instruments having sounding-boards; and the object of the invention is to provide a new and improved soundingboard which is exceedingly` sensitive and arranged to increase the volume as well as to improve the richness and sustaining quality of the tone.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification7 in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a rear face view ofthe improvement, parts of the frame being broken out. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a like view of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

The sounding-board A is secured in the usual manner to the back frame B, and on the face of the said sounding-board A is secured a continuous rib C spaced apart a uniform distance from the inner contour of the back frame, as plainly illustrated in the drawings. A plurality of transverse ribs D are secured to the face of the sounding-board A within the continuous rib O, the transverse ribs being arranged parallel to each other and transversely to the grain of the soundingboard A. By the arrangement above described the portion of the sounding-board A lying between the continuous rib C and the inner side of the frame B is wholly unobstructed, so that the sounding-board is rendered exceedingly sensitive to vibrations.

By the construction described weak places in the scale are prevented, as the entire sounding-board is capable of vibrating. ln general a richer quality of tone and very superiorsustaining quality is obtained.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A musical instrument having a sounding-board provided with a plurality of transverse ribs on the face thereof, and with a continuous rib circumscribing the transverse ribs, said continuous rib being spaced apart from the edge ofthe sounding-board.

2. A musical instrument provided with a back frame, a sounding-board on the back frame, and a continuous rib having one of its edges free and secured by the other edge to the sounding-board, and spaced apart a uniform distance from the edge of the board.

3. A musical instrument provided with a back frame, a sounding-board on said frame, a plurality of parallel ribs on the face of the sounding-board and arranged transversely to the grain thereof, and a continuous rib circumscribing the transverse ribs and spaced apart a uniform distance from the inner contour of the said back frame.

4. A sounding-board for pianos, provided with a continuous rib having one of its edges free and secured bythe other to the face of the board, and spaced apart a uniform distance from the edge of the board.

y In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

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Witnesses:

S. F. OTTINGER, OSCAR WOLFRAM. 

